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- An Iceland fisheries company is at the centre of the biggest corruption scandal since independence in Namibia.
- Transparency International says generations to come will feel the negative impacts of the scandal.
- Despite numerous threats to his life, a whistleblower has vowed to testify in court.
Iceland's silence and failure to prosecute business elites implicated in the biggest scandal in Namibia's history is "almost an embarrassment".
These were the words of Drago Kos, chairperson of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions, on the third anniversary of the "Fishrot scheme".
The scandal included the alleged transfer by FISHCOR, Namibia's state-owned fishing company, of fishing quotas from private Namibian companies to other local companies in which politicians had a stake.
The companies were linked to Samherji, Iceland's largest fishing corporation, which allegedly paid roughly R180 million (US$10 million) in bribes to leaders of the ruling party, the South West Africa People's Organisation (Swapo), for preferential access to Namibia's rich fishing waters.
Samherji allegedly used other methods to avoid paying taxes in Namibia, including the registration of its operations in tax havens such as Mauritius and Cyprus, according to investigative reporters.
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Not much was done in Namibia. Lawyer Marén de Klerk was charged but fled to South Africa. Former fisheries minister Bernardt Esau, former justice minister Sakeus Shanghala, former FISHCOR board chairperson James Hatuikulipi, ex-CEO of FISHCOR Mike Nghipunya, and five other senior officials or business executives were expected in court.
The date 12 November 2022 marked the third anniversary of the exposé
In a statement, Transparency International's (TI) Iceland division said while the politicians and the business elite from Namibia and Iceland have still not been held accountable for their alleged crimes, ordinary Namibians were greatly affected.
It said:
Joined by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), a think tank based in London, TI added that while there's a case before the courts in Namibia, Iceland, a Nordic country, has remained silent.
"In Iceland, no formal charges have been laid against Icelandic suspects. Instead, Icelandic police are investigating journalists reporting on Samherji, undermining press freedom and anti-corruption efforts," the organisations said.
As a result, the IPPR and Transparency International have urged authorities to take the following actions:
- Samherji must be required to participate in a process of restitution and remediation, including an evaluation of the economic and human rights effects of Samherji's activities in Namibia, full restitution to affected communities, and a functioning grievance mechanism to address particular problems of local communities and individuals.
- The Icelandic government should begin criminal investigations and take decisive action to combat citizen corruption.
- The Namibian government should further improve governance, particularly by amending the Marine Resources Act, which permitted Fishrot, and to try those responsible as soon as possible, and immediately seek the extradition of the Icelandic suspects.
- International governments, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Poland, the Netherlands, Norway, and the Faroe Islands should take all necessary measures to ensure that proceeds of crime are not entering their economies through Samherji's international investments made with the use of proceeds from its Namibian business.
Jóhannes Stefánsson, a former director of operations for Samherji in Namibia and a whistleblower in the matter, said he would return to Namibia to testify in court.
Speaking on Desert Radio on Thursday last week, he said there were numerous attempts on his life but that when he goes to Namibia, he will hire private security.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
